RESOLUTION of the 2nd International Workshop
on Closed Ecological Systems

Institute of Biophysics and Institute of Ecotechnics
Krasnoyarsk -Shushenskoe, USSR
September 13-18, 1989

1. Representatives of three countries (USSR -19, Great Britain -1, USA -8 and European Space Agency technical directorate -1) took part in the Workshop.
2. This Work shop continued the discussions on the problems that were formulated at the first Workshop which took place in 1987 under auspices of the Royal Society in London. The first Workshop reviewed the history of closed ecological systems, its foundations in ecological modelling and current projects in the field.
3. Due to the specific constraints, conditions and aims of terrestrial ecological mesocosms, closed ecosystems and spacedesigned ecosystems, different conceptual approaches and degrees of complexity coexist. The participants agree that given the research and financial efforts, and the general understanding of ecological systems required, international exchange among the researchers in this field is important to help meet in time the problems a human being will have to solve on Earth and in space in the near decades.
4. The development of closed ecological systems is a new field of human activity. The necessity to create such systems contributes to the solution of serious issues of modern civilization:
• The need to create working models of the Earth's biosphere and its ecosystems and thus to better understand the regularities end laws that control its life. This is especially important because the Earth's biosphere is presently under ecological stress on a global scale.
• The need to create biospheres for human life support beyond the limits of the Earth's biosphere. These are essential for permanent human presence in space.
• To create ground-based life-support systems that provide a high quality of life in the extreme conditions of the Earth's biosphere, as at polar latitudes, deserts, mountains, under water, etc.
• Closed ecological systems offer the prospect of developing technologies for the solution of pollution problem in our urban areas and for developing high yield sustainable agriculture.
5. At present we can speak about a new scientific discipline: biospherics, which can lead to the application of human knowledge to manage the essential components of ecosystems. This is an integrating science, using the achievements of many disciplines.
6. One of the most pressing tasks of biospherics is the elaboration of ways to quantitatively predict the development of natural and human-made ecosystems. Two approaches are mathematical simulation of matter turnover and energy transfer and experimental studies in closed ecological systems.
7. Considering the tremendous scaling difference between natural ecosystems and micro synthetic ecosystems, it is important to carry out continued research to improve our understanding of the comparative dynamics between micro-and macro-systems and natural ecosystems.
8. Experience gained during experiments with the "BIOS" system and other controlled ecological systems allows us to outline the problems that first need to be solved.
• How can we coordinate the development and the micro-evolution of separate populations of the system within the context of total matter turnover? We must develop algorithms to manage various kinds of closed ecological systems. The progress achieved in this area by participants of this Workshop demonstrates that our level of understanding is sufficient to create and maintain certain synthetic ecosystems. The tasks of biospherics are realistic.
• In order to understand the complex interactions implicit in such systems it is necessary to investigate the specific contributions and limitations of living organisms in biospheres, CELSS, etc. For example, how can we better understand and where necessary manage he exchange of microflora from one host to another?

We propose the following:

1. To publish within a year the proceedings of this 2nd International Workshop on Closed Ecological Systems in English.This task will be coordinated by Josef Gitelson, Anders Hansson and Mark Nelson.
2. To encourage the exchange of information on subjects of joint interest. This exchange can take the form of joint publications (like in point 1), exchange of scientists and biospheric designers, collaborative research efforts, and other agreed means.
3. To arrange a 3rd International Workshop on Closed Ecological Systems to be held not later than in 1991. This task will be coordinated by Josef Gitelson and Mark Nelson.
4. To elaborate joint international research efforts aired at developing closed ecological systems; initially to form a working group to study the stability of closed ecological systems with varying structures.
5. To elaborate experimental biological life-support system which are valid for the conditions of space flight and to encourage their inclusion in the plans of governmental and private companies on the creation of special modules, docking with the existent ones or being constructed for space stations or other space infrastructures.

Each of us, the undersigned, agrees in principle with the essence of this resolution and hopes that such studies and projects will continue based on an international understanding between the scientists working in these are as:

Mark Nelson
John P. Allen
Frank B. Salisbury
Carl N. Hodges
Walter Adey
Karen Loveland
Daniel Janik
Roger A. Binot
Yvonne Thorstenson
Anders Hansson
J.I. Gitelson
N.S. Pechurkin
G.M. Lisovsky
R.G. Khlebopros
Yu.N. Okladnikov
I.N. Trubachev
V.A. Okhonin
S.I. Bartsev
V.V. Mezhevikin
V.I. Gavrikov
I.M. Pankova
I.V. Gribovskaya
N.S. Manukovsky
V.I. Polonsky
Ya.V. Fedorova
V.E. Kokova
M.G. Sadovsky
L.S. Tirranean
V.E. Rygalov
V.G. Gubanov
A.Ya. Bolsunovsky
L.A. Somova
G.N. Grossan
M.M. Merkulov

APPENDIX TO THE RESOLUTION ON ORGANIZATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP TO STUDY STABILITY OF CLOSED ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

To establish an international working group to study the ways to increase the biological stability of basic types of experimental ecosystems.

To recommend the following tasks in the working program of this group:

1. To initiate the organization of a Journal of Theoretical and Applied Biospherics to be published at first in two issues per year beginning in the last half of 1992. To immediately commence efforts to create a FAX network between biospheric research, development of artificial ecosystems groups.

2. To study the compatibility of the populations keeping in mind energy and substance flow from one link to another ones.

3. To assess the risk of possible intrusions by fast reproducing organisms from other populations.

4. To pay special attention to microbial flora which can seriously affect the state of the higher organisms in the system.

5. To estimate the population dynamics of microorganisms in soil and other substrates at various regimes of aeration.

6. To work out recommendations for providing biological stability of closed ecosystems of various degrees of closure and applications.

7. To study and manage the development and state of populations before and during each long-term experiment with various closed ecological systems.